Character animation is a special aspect of the animation process, in which life is breathed into an artificial character. One of the most difficult aspects of both the traditional animation process and the computer animation process, character animation involves creating the nuances, gestures, distinct movements, and patterns of speech that will make an audience believe that the character is actually alive.

The first champion of character animation was Otto Messmer, who imbued his Felix the Cat with an instantly recognizable personality during the 1920s. The following decade, Walt Disney made character animation a particular focus of his animation studio, best showcased in productions such as Three Little Pigs, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and Dumbo. Disney artists such as Bill Tytla, Fred Moore, Frank Thomas, and Ollie Johnston all became masters of the technique.

Other notable figures in character animation include the Termite Terrace/Warner Bros. staffers (Chuck Jones, Robert McKimson, Tex Avery, Friz Freleng), independent animator Richard Williams, John Lasseter at Pixar, and latter-day Disney animators Andreas Deja and Glen Keane.

Character animation is augmented by special effects animation, which creates anything that is not a character; most commonly vehicles, machinery, and natural phenomena such as rain, snow, and water.